US gun debate: Piers Morgan fires machine gun at shooting range

The CNN presenter asks ""Why would any civilian need one of these?'
after shooting a Browning M2 machine gun at a firing range in Texas as part
of a series of programmes investigating gun laws in America.

2:55PM GMT 05 Feb 2013

The former British newspaper editor has been a vocal advocate of measures to encourage greater gun control in the US, in the wake of the Sandy Hook school massacre.

At the Texas firing range, Morgan fired a Browning M2 machine gun which has been used by the US military since the World War II.

The gun is legal for people to buy in the US because it was made before the 1986 assault weapons ban. The fully automatic version fires 900 rounds of bullets per minute.

"Why would any civilian need one of these?" asked Morgan.

One of the official at the gun range said the weapon was an investment. "I purchased one of these for about $12,000 and sold it for $45,000, " he said.